(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany, R-Lafayette, and U.S. Rep. Alexander, R-Quitman, today offered an amendment to the Farm Bill Extension Act of 2007 (H.R. 2419) to correct a policy of the Risk Management Agency’s (RMA) Pilot Crop Insurance Program that unfairly restricts sweet potato farmers from receiving federal disaster assistance.

During the 2005-2006 crop year, the RMA changed its criteria for “marketable” sweet potatoes, a technical change that did not accurately reflect the sweet potato industry.  As a result, many sweet potato farmers, who suffered a 35 percent crop loss due to excessive rains during the same crop year, did not qualify for disaster assistance.

“Sweet potato farming is quickly becoming a major industry in the 5th District,” Alexander said, “The hard-working farmers in this agricultural sector deserve the same treatment as any other type of farmer, and this amendment would correct a flaw within the Pilot Crop Insurance Program that prohibits them from receiving the assistance they need and deserve.”

Boustany followed, “This amendment would provide our sweet potato farmers in Southwest Louisiana the same assurances we give other commodity farmers.  The Pilot Crop Insurance Program can work for our farmers and this amendment helps correct this fatal flaw.”

The Boustany-Alexander amendment (#94) is expected to come before the House of Representatives during the debate of the farm bill.